YouTube’s German Music Royalty Talks Break Down

Remember 12 months ago, when YouTube, negotiating music rates with European royalty collectors, yanked official music videos from its site in the UK and Germany?

By the summer, YouTube had forced the UK’s PRS For Music to halve its on-demand music stream rate, leading to YouTube’s reinstatement. But, in Germany, the GEMA society’s rates have remained high – and negotiations have now broken down…

GEMA released a statement Monday, saying: “Operators of online platforms which generate the use of copyrighted works – such as, in YouTube’s case, millions in advertising revenue – must ensure that those who create these works, providing the so-called ‘content’, are properly remunerated.”

Billboard: “It is understood GEMA wanted assurances that a new deal would include a share of advertising revenue and take account of YouTube’s revenue growth.”